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A special helmet: With his victory at the Nürburgring, Lewis Hamilton set a great record for Michael Schumacher: In the presence of around 13,500 spectators, Hamilton achieved his 91st victory in the race, as Schumacher once did. He then received a red helmet from the last season of Formula 1 from his father from his son Mick Schumacher.
Perhaps the gesture should mean that Hamilton is not only at Schumacher’s level when it comes to records. What they both have in common is that they are exceptional athletes, motivated individuals who have accomplished more than most of their competitors and yet they seem not to give in. “I’m very honored,” but no one could compare to Schumacher despite all the records, Hamilton said. At the awards ceremony that followed, he still had the helmet with him.
The result of the race: Besides the Briton, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Daniel Ricciardo (Renault) took the podium. Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas withdrew due to a technical defect, only 15 cars crossed the finish line. Of the Ferrari drivers, only Charles Leclerc reached the points in seventh place, Sebastian Vettel was eleventh. Read the race report here.
Ready to order: Several success stories were written during the race. In addition to Hamilton’s hit, 40-year-old Kimi Räikkönen (Alfa Romeo) set a record with his 323rd start (despite only finishing twelfth due to a ten-second penalty). And for Renault it was the first podium since 2011. Nico Hülkenberg, without a contract, showed a special achievement, however, he started as a substitute driver for Racing Point for the third time this season, finished last in the standings and finally went from 20th to eighth driving .
Coffee left, ran towards the Eifel: In reality, Hülkenberg was supposed to give the experts this weekend on RTL in the Cologne studio. He was about to get coffee there on Saturday morning when Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer called him and recruited him to replace Lance Stroll, who had lost due to illness. Hülkenberg drove to the Eifel and started qualifying right away: “Without any preparation, it’s not an easy story, really without the cold pants,” he said afterwards: “But I’m a racing driver, that’s my job. You have to have that opportunity. “. grab your head. “And he did, with ten points in the championship, he is in 15th place in the drivers’ standings, just seven points behind Vettel, who he was able to overtake on lap 42. Racing Point has always had the seat adapted from Hülkenberg from Silverstone.
The last Eifel winner was Vettel: The Nürburgring only entered the racing calendar on short notice due to the crown pandemic. Originally, no German racetrack had received a contract for the 2020 season; in recent years, racing has taken place at the Hockenheimring, if at all. Vettel won the last Grand Prix at the Eifel in 2013, at the time still at Red Bull, for the first time in his career. In the same year, the then 26-year-old became world champion for the fourth and final time. It was a turbulent race, among other things, a cameraman was injured in the pit lane by a flying tire and a car that had been parked after an engine failure rolled backwards uncontrollably on the track.
A special route: Three-time Formula 1 world champion Jackie Stewart called the Nordschleife, once known for its cruelty, the “Green Hell.” The route, which was completed in 1927, was initially driven at more than 20,832 kilometers per lap. After Niki Lauda’s fire accident on August 1, 1976, Formula 1 avoided the Nordschleife. He didn’t return to the Eifel until 1984, but not on the old track, but on the significantly shortened Grand Prix course of 5,148 kilometers. Today 60 laps are driven, the undulating route is still demanding, the fickle weather conditions in the Eifel also make it unpredictable, as the drivers had to discover this time as well.
The most absurd bet of the weekend: With Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul, the joys and sorrows were very close together. After Ricciardo crossed the finish line in third place at the Nürburgring, the Australian immediately reminded his boss of a bet: Because Ricciardo did so well, Abiteboul had to get a tattoo. “That’s right, that will happen. We urgently need to meet now,” said Ricciardo, who can determine the motive according to an agreement. Abiteboul, 42, around whom there are farewell rumors, should only decide the position. Ricciardo already has very specific ideas about his boss’s tattoo: “It will probably have something to do with me, and also a German influence, because it is linked to this place.”
Whats Next: With the victory in the Eifel, Hamilton already has 69 points ahead of Bottas. This means that the Finn can no longer overtake Hamilton on his own with six races remaining. On October 25, Hamilton can continue to the seventh world title at the Portuguese Grand Prix. This would match Schumacher’s top brand.
